Incandescent vapor tube stove



May 9, 1950 J. 1. STEIN 2,505,690

INCANDESCENT VAPOR TUBE STOVE Filed June 17, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l y 1950 J. 1. STEIN 2,506,690

INCANDESCENT VAPOR TUBE STOVE Filed June 17, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 wu mm Jam I. JTf/IY Patented May 9, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to heating stoves and more particularly to an electrical heating stove employing incandescent vapor tubes as the source of heat.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved heating unit employing incandescent vapor tubes as the heat source, said unit being very simple in construction, efficient in operation and compact in size.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved heating unit which is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to maintain in operation and light in weight.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a heating unit constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional View taken through the heating unit of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a detail top plan view of the top conductor ring employed as a contact terminal element for the vapor tubes employed in the heating unit of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view taken through one of the vapor tubes employed in the heating unit of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an elevational view partly in crosssection of a modified vapor tube heating unit constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional detail plate l 3, said base plate being made of refractory electrically non-conducting material, such as tile, fire clay, or the like. The cylindrical housing is made of sheet metal or the like and is provided with a hinged door I which provides access to the interior of the housing. The wall of the housing and the door It are formed with perforations E5 to allow air to circulate freely through the interior of the housing.

Secured to base plate I3 is a bottom support disc l6 of suitable refractory electrically nonconductive material, and secured to and supported on upstanding post members E1 rising from bottom disc i6 is a top disc l8 made of the same type of material as bottom disc 16. Secured to bottom disc !6 is an annular ring [9 made of conductive temperature-resistant metal, such as stainless steel or the like and secured to the bottom surface of top disc i8 is a, similar annular ring 2%. Formed in each of rings l9 and are a like number of uniformly spaced openings 2!, the openings of ring 19 being substantially vertically opposed with respect to the openings of ring 20, although ring 26 is somewhat larger in diameter than ring l9 and the openings of ring 211 are on a larger radius with respect to the common vertical axis of the rings than the openings of ring 59. Secured in each set of opposed openings in the respective rings l9 and 20 is a vapor tube 22 having end terminals 23 and 24 received in the opposed openings. Secured to the top ring 20 is a terminal bracket 25 carrying a binding post 25 to which is connected one of the line wires 2! of the current source. The other line wire 28 is connected to the bottom ring l8 and extends thereto through the insulating base disc I6.

Each of the vapor tubes 22 comprises the end terminals 23 and 24 to which are secured an inner shell 29, an intermediate shell 30 spaced outwardly from said inner shell and an outer shell 3! spaced outwardly from the intermediate shell 36. The shells 29, 39 and 3| are made of thin refractory insulating material such as fire clay or the like. The inner tube 29 is filled with a mass of heat insulating material 32 such as rock wool or the like. The spaces between inner tube 29 and intermediate tube 35 and between said intermediate tube and outer tube 3| are filled with conductive gas such as neon, argon or nitrogen or conductive vapor such as tellurium vapor, mercury vapor, or a mixture of conductive gases and vapors.

When the line wires 21 and 28 are connected to a suitable source of current, the vapor tubes 22 will be energized in parallel and the gases or vapors contained therein will become incandescent by the passage of current between the terminals 23 and '24 of the tubes. Said incandescent gases will be at a substantial temperature and will generate appreciable quantities of radiant energy. This radiant energy will elevate the temperature of air circulating through the housing I I, whereby the room in which the heating unit is placed will be efiiciently and rapidly warmed.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures to 8, the unit is intended to be employed in the same manner as that of Figures 1 to 4. Designated at 33 is a housing of insulating material which is generally cylindrical in form and has a flared supporting base 34. The top wall of the unit comprises a hinged lid 35 having a circular aperture 36 formed. thereon and having parallel grill bars 31 secured thereto across the aperture;

Removably secured inside the housing 33 is a cylindrical core member 38 of refractory insulating material such as tile or fire clay formed with annular grooves and secured thereon in:

said grooves are a plurality of generally C-shaped vapor tubes 39 whose internal construction may be the same as that of the straight vapor tubes 22 employed in the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4. The tubes 39 terminate at end walls 40 and il, in which are mounted the respective terminals 42 arid- 43. The terminals 42 at one end of therespective' vapor tubes 39 are vertically aligned and aredetachably connected to'a vertical terminal ban-1 secured inthe outer housing 33. The terminals as of the respectivevapor tubes are similarly vertically aligned and are detachably connect'ed to a second vertical terminal bar 45 secured in outer housi'ng33 adjacent to and spaced from vertical terminal bar 44. A line wire 46 is connected toterminal bar 44' and a line Wire 5'! is connected to the terminal bar 45.

top" handle 48 i's 'sec'ured to inner core member' 3ii'tofa'cilita'te the removal of said core member irom'outei housing 33 whenever it is-neces'sary to clean't'he annulartube's 39. The outer housing '33 is formed with apertures 49 to allow air to circulate around-the inner core member 38 past the annular vapor tubes 39. The operation of said vapor tubes is the same as in the embodiment illustrated in Figures I to 4.

While" certain specific embodiments of a heating stove employing'vapor' tube's have been disclosed in' the foregoing description, it will be understood that varioii'smodifications within the spirit" of th'einvention may occur to those skilled 111- theart; Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on tlie inv'ention except as defined the sco e of the appended claims.

What is claimedis:

l=. An electrical heating'element comprising a ns-111e,: comprising two s'paced refractory plates and means spacing said plates, conductive plates secured on the facing sides of said refractory plates, a plurality of gaseous electric discharge tubes extending longitudinally between said conductive plates, terminals on opposite ends of said tubes electrically and supportably connecting said tubes to said conductive plates in laterally spaced relation to each other, and refractory cylinders enclosing said tubes arranged to absorb and radiate h'eat produced by energization of said tubes.

2. An electrical heating element comprising a frame, comprising two spaced refractory plates and means spacing said plates, conductor plates secured on the facing sides of said refractory plates, a plurality of gaseous electric discharge tubes extending longitudinally between said conductive plates, terminals on opposite ends of said tunes electrically and supportably connecting said tubes to said conductive plates in laterally spaced relation to each other, and refractory cylinders enclosing said tubes arranged-to absorb 'and 'r-adiate heat produced by energizat'i'on of saidtubee} each of said annular discharge tubes cement; g inner, intermediate, and outer refractory tubes, means maintaining said refractory tubes" in: concentrically spaced relation, saidterminals having portions at opposite ends of the dischargeftub, said portions being eii posed in the interior of the inner refractory tube andin the spaces between the inner tube and the intermediate-tube and betweenthe intermediate tube and the outer tube, and ionizabl'e' gas filling said s aces.

JGH N' I. STETN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inth'e file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

